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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Facts about 2nd hand smoke

Here are some facts about 2nd hand smoke. This list may be different from other lists because I'm basing my list on facts obtained from studies and not my own personal opinion and vested interest.

Note, however, that I want people to quit smoking, and I want people who do not smoke to be protected from 2nd hand smoke. However I do not believe there should be any attempt by any government to force people to quit smoking other than through education.

It is my belief that most people are smart, and provided with facts they will make the best decision for themselves. I do not believe facts come from organizations and companies that in some way profit from smoking. I also do not believe the facts come from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) either.

In a way this is frustrating, because ideally we should be able to get all our facts from such organizations as the WHO, our government, or at least from the Media. Yes it's true, even the media can't fully be trusted.

So this is why we must keep our minds and ears open and get our news from a variety of sources. While I do not pretend to know all the truths, I do like to lay out all the facts so we can all make an educated decision. This, after all, is the goal of the RT Cave.

We do, however, agree that 2nd hand smoke is bad, even though all the information we receive might be twisted in one way or another. That in mind, here are some facts about 2nd hand smoke.

2nd hand smoke may not cause lung cancer, as you can see by this WHO study. Despite this, the WHO notes that 2nd hand smoke kills as many as 600,000 people each year, as you can read here. We're neutral here, so you decide.

There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, and over 250 of them are known to cause damage to the human body such as aging the body, thinning the skin and arteries, destroying cilia in the lungs, etc. This effect is just as damaging to those who breath second hand smoke as those who inhale the smoke directly.

Kids exposed to 2nd hand smoke are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to smoke themselves

Results in increased sick days and lost wages

Increases economic costs to society by forcing all of us to pay for the care of smoking related diseases and smoking cessation programs

Decreases lifespans (each cigarette takes 7 minutes off your life)

The World Health Organization notes that, "More than 94% of people are unprotected by smoke-free laws. However, in 2008 the number of people protected from second-hand smoke by such laws increased by 74% to 362 million from 208 million in 2007. Of the 100 most populous cities, 22 are smoke-free. (Note here, however, that a government has the job of protecting us from each other, but not from ourselves)

Secondhand smoke immediately affects the heart and blood circulation in a harmful way. Over a longer time it also causes heart disease and lung cancer.

The scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces (a cause of occupational asthma) despite a great deal of progress in tobacco control.

The only way to fully protect non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke indoors is to prevent all smoking in that indoor space or building. Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot keep non-smokers from being exposed to secondhand smoke.

Driving in a car with the cigarette dangling out the window does not mean other people in the car will not be exposed to 2nd hand smoke

The following are facts about 2nd hand smoke some may not want you to know:

2nd hand smoke may not cause lung cancer, as you can see by this WHO study. Despite this, the WHO notes that 2nd hand smoke kills as many as 600,000 people each year, as you can read here. We're neutral here, so you decide

The WHO also learned that parents smoked had had a 22% better chance of NOT contracting lung cancer than did adult children who came from homes where both parents did not smoke. WHO tried to hide this fact

The WHO has a vested interest in getting people to quit smoking because they believe governments should have universal health care, and smoking would therefore increase economic costs to various governments.

Despite what the WHO mentioned above, some studies show that technology such as air filtration systems in bars to filter as much as 100% of 2nd hand smoke from the atmosphere of the building. So ventilation systems can be effective.

The number of deaths caused by 2nd hand smoke is often exaggerated. The study showing 2nd hand smoke does not cause lung cancer, and the fact 2nd hand smoke is still attributed to 2nd hand smoke, is a perfect example. The WHO and the Environmental Protection Agency have invested interests in exaggerating these numbers.

Most people do not approve of smoking bans in public places. For example, in New York 85% said such laws went too far (however, personally, I believe such laws are necessary and Constitutional. The Constitution gives lawmakers the right to protect us from each other. However, I think such laws should give businesses the right to be smoke free or not smoke free and the people can choose whether or not to go to the businesses that allow smokers inside. Let the market decide and not some lawmaker in Washington).

There are no studies that show people miss more work due to 2nd hand smoke. There are many reasons people miss work, and none could be ruled out. It could be second hand smoke, but there's no real evidence to show this.

There is no real proof smoking increases medical costs. There is no proof these people would have had medical problems regardless whether they smoked or not. There is proof that people who smoke and have increased health problems have bad genes, so perhaps these people would have had bad health regardless that they smoked (or inhaled 2nd hand smoke).

Even scientific studies are interpreted by people who have biases. Questions can be asked to generate a certain response. Studies can be interpreted with bias. In this way, sometimes statistics can be skewered.

It is a fact that some studies show 2nd hand smoke causes certain diseases, and similar studies that show the opposite. As we can see by the WHO, the ones that are inconvenient to the biases of the organization are ignored and those that prove the bias are reported.

The smoking industry lied about the dangers of 2nd hand smoke until recent years. This is why some smokers have succeeded in suing these companies.

The U.S. government knew prior to WWI that smoking was dangerous to people's health, yet still gave out free cigarettes to soldiers in WWI and WWII. The U.S. government succeeded in getting America addicted to cigarettes knowing it was bad in order to help the smoking industry in order to boost the economy. This is a fact. Look it up for yourself.

In 1929 a study was published in Germany linking cigarette smoke with lung cancer (see here).

Automated cigarette machines were invented in the late 19th century which made it easy to make cigarettes. The industry soon took off, and it boomed with the help of the U.S. government